The Tribune

By YOURI KEMP

Tribune Business Reporter

ykemp@tribunemedia.net

A Cabinet minister yesterday said the Government is aiming to slash The Bahamas’ annual $1bn food import bill by 25 percent come 2025.

Clay Sweeting, minister of agriculture, marine resources and Family Island affairs, told reporters ahead of the weekly Cabinet meeting that the Davis administration is working with CARICOM on food security issues as it seeks to achieve what would be around a $250m reduction in food imports.

“We have an aggressive agenda and we’re definitely working towards that,” Mr Sweeting said of the 25 percent cut. “We also understand the price of food is increasing. So we’re looking at ways to decrease that as well by working along with farmers and stakeholders. We had a meeting on Monday with some stakeholders to see how they can best invest in the agricultural sector as well.”

Referring to The Bahamas’ recent attendance at an international food conference, the minister added that the Government will be partnering with its Dubai counterpart to bring some of the Middle Eastern state’s technology to bear on agriculture in this country.

“The most important thing I would say would be the amount of technology that we don’t have access to currently,” Mr Sweeting said. “They are able to grow things in places such as the desert, which is amazing.

“So we’re hoping to bring some of that technology back and increase our domestic production, like places such as Israel, which is doing a wonderful job in the agricultural sector. We have some persons travelling from Israel in April that would assist with some training and initiatives here. So we’re just excited about it and continue to work towards food security.”

The previous Free National Movement (FNM) administration implemented a policy where foreign investors, resorts, restaurants and supermarkets were to source 40 percent of their food supply needs from Bahamian producers.

Mr Sweeting, though, said that while this policy remained in place under the Davis administration, it had not truly been activated under the former government,

“The issue is supply, so our policy is Bahamian farmer driven,” he added. “We just have to ensure that the policies that we put in place as a government, we’re able to achieve. So it’s easy to put anything on paper if you can’t achieve those goals. So we’re getting to the point, hopefully, that we can achieve those goals as soon as possible.”

Mr Sweeting said there are no immediate plans to reform fisheries legislation or alter policy regarding the use of compressors on board vessels.

That’s something that has to go to consultation and be analysed with stakeholders,” he said of the use of compressors. “You know, being a fisherman, I understand their plight. So we are looking at it and we get numerous calls every day concerning that.”